Travel and Tourism Research Association South Central States Chapter

The TTRA South Central States Chapter Annual Conference is set for September 30 and October 1, 2004 at Natchez’s Convention Center. This Center opened in 2002 and is at 211 Main Street, about one block from the Host Hotel—Natchez Eola—that opened for business in 1927. Our 2004 Conference Theme is: “Beyond the Boundaries: Partnerships for Profit.”

There is the possibility that a Pre-Conference Marketing Tour might take place on Wednesday, September 29^th in Port Gibson and Vicksburg, Mississippi. More information will follow. Mississippi hosts this 17^th Annual Conference for the 6^th time. Vicksburg, Jackson, Gulfport, Tupelo and Hattiesburg were prior hosts.

Our 2004 Keynote Speaker is Judy Randall, President/CEO, Randall Travel Marketing, Mooresville, North Carolina. Judy’s insights cover the gamut from national and regional to state and local Tourism perspectives and trends.

The Conference offers a broad scope of topics and presenters starting with an “Air, Water and Land” Niche Marketing Session on 9-30-04 and ending with “The Film Industry as an Economic Development Engine” on 10-01-04. Attendees have an action-packed program to look forward to, ranging from the “Economic Impact of Bass Fishing Tournaments” by Michael McCalla of the Columbus-Lowndes CVB in the opening session to Film Industry topics. The Conference is a “wrap” by “high noon” on Friday, October 1^st. This enables attendees to plan accordingly in terms of their work schedule.

Various private sector firms and presenters are represented including Rick Cain, TNS Plog—Advertising Effectiveness; Molly Uteg, Smith

Travel Research—Lodging Trends; and Valerie Crancer, Southern Research Group; John Packer Market Vision Research; and Julia Johnston, Scarborough Research, all with interesting topics.

D’Arcy McKittrick, The Tourism Company, Ontario, Canada, will address Cultural Tourism in “The Rebirth of Malmaison: Leveraging a Cultural Heritage Attraction.” A separate topic—“Planning and Development of Indianola’s B.B. King Museum”—is on tap, with R. Allan Hammons, Executive Director of the B.B. King Foundation. Linda Mann, Jackson CVB, will cover “Partnerships/ Collaborations.”

Bobby King, a TTRA South Central States Chapter Charter member (1986) and owner of Bobby King & Associates, heads a trio of speakers on “Exploring the Natchez Trace: Planning and Marketing Perspective.” A Research Forum with two Mississippi State University professors and “Zach” Hallab of the University of Southern Mississippi are scheduled.

For more details, please refer to the enclosed Preliminary Conference Program Brochure and Registration Form. Conference Registration fees are $100 - TTRA members, $125 -non-members, $25 - students and $35 - guests/spouses. There is a 10% discount for 2 or more attendees (non-students) from the same company. The Eola Hotel can be called toll free—1-866-445-3652—for the $89 per night room rate + 10% tax.

WHAT’S NEW IN TTRA

From The President's Desk...

The first quarter of 2004 featured a productive Board Meeting at the Greenville History Museum in the “Heart” of the Mississippi Delta, a 2003 National Collegiate Football Title for the LSU Tigers—our TTRA Region’s first one since Alabama’s undefeated 1992 season, replacing two Board Members and a 2004 Chapter Brochure Project.

Teressa Rambo, Director of Sales and Marketing, Little Rock CVB, replaced Jim Rice on the Board. Teressa has coordinated the location and date for our next Board Meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 at Historic Curran Hall, Little Rock’s Welcome Center. Tentative pre-Board Meeting plans call for a 7 p.m. dinner on

Monday, May 3, 2004 at Cajun’s Wharf.

Zaher “Zach” Hallab, Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, took the place of Brian Jones, Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel. “Zach” earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech; has presented at both TTRA International and South Central Conferences; and attends the Mississippi Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

LSU’s football achievements were followed by a terrific hoop season by the Mississippi State Bulldogs, #5 in the country at the beginning of March 2004, perhaps the best basketball team in our four-state region since the 1993-94 Arkansas Razorbacks won it all. These teams can help propel tourist/visitor spending from souvenirs to food/beverage to lodging to gasoline…in venues/cities where they play.

Our February 3, 2004 Board Meeting in Greenville featured Pamela Smith, Auburn University-Montgomery, and Charles McLemore, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, covering methods used for doing/finalizing their respective Tourism Economic Impact Reports.

Mark Northington and I attended the TTRA Southeast Chapter (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina) Research Symposium on March 22, 2004 at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, as part of the Southeast Tourism Society’s (STS) Spring 2004 Meeting.

TTRA International's Annual Conference is June 20-23, 2004 in Montreal, Canada. The TTRA Canada Chapter does a great job of supporting their home conferences, e.g., Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1999.

Closer to home, Arma de la Cruz and “Zach” Hallab have proofed a draft Chapter brochure. We plan to unveil the first-ever TTRA South Central States Chapter brochure in June 2004 with our Chapter Mission Statement, how to become a TTRA International member, our web sites—www.ttra.com (International) http://www.ttrasc.org/ (South Central)—and other information, with input from Pam McGill, our First Vice-President, and Marianne Hawkins Marcell, a Chapter Board Member.

Respectfully,

Tom Van Hyning, President

TTRA South Central States Chapter

A promising, but under-utilized tourism market in central Alabama is that of heritage tourism, and more specifically, Civil Rights tourism. The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines cultural heritage tourism as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” Key events of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s took place in the south-central area of Alabama known as the Black Belt, thus named because of the region’s rich, dark soil. Many of Alabama’s economically less-developed Black Belt counties could reap the benefit, either directly or indirectly, from Civil Rights tourism expenditures, if this segment of the tourism market was emphasized in a more proactive manner. Development of historic Civil Rights sites and effective marketing of the sites would bring more visitors to these areas.

There are a number of Civil Rights tourism sites that have been developed and marketed in Alabama. These sites include the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. These four sites bring many visitors to the state each year. Estimated average annual attendance figures for the sites are as follows:

Other sites, such as the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton Field in Tuskegee and the Freedom Riders Interpretive Center in Montgomery, are currently under development.

There are many other Civil Rights-era attractions in the Selma area (Dallas County) and in surrounding Black Belt counties. The Selma to Montgomery Trail, which runs through Selma, Lowndes, and Montgomery counties, was designated as a National Historic Trail in 1996. Sites along this trail have under-utilized tourism potential, as well as do other under-recognized Civil Rights sites in the state. The Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center in Tuskegee and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma are examples of sites located in the Black Belt counties. If further effort is given towards the development and marketing of attractions and sites, this area of Alabama could benefit from Civil Rights and heritage tourism, either directly or by pass-through traffic.

A study conducted in 1999-2000 analyzed the estimated economic impact of travelers to the (then) proposed Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, the Selma to Montgomery Trail, and the Freedom Riders Interpretive Center. The study was prepared for the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel by Auburn University Montgomery. This study demonstrated the potential that Civil Rights sites and heritage tourism sites have for bringing travelers to the state.

Traveler and niche market data were collected for the study. Data were needed on traveler interest in heritage tourism, and more specifically, in Civil Rights sites. Surveys were developed to collect data on traveler interests and to quantify the following: number of expected travelers, travel party size, spending patterns of travelers, length of stay, room nights per travel party, and previous traveler trips to civil rights sites, the South and Alabama. Information was also collected on traveler mode of transportation and accommodation preference.

A total of 400 in-state and 800 out-of-state residents were contacted by telephone. Two case studies were conducted for niche market analysis by mailing surveys to members of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., a national organization with ties with the original Tuskegee Airmen Corps, and to group tour operators.

The telephone surveys were conducted during a six-month period to determine estimated number of visitors, length of stay, and spending volumes and patterns. The out-of-state households in the survey sample were located in the major market areas for potential tourism to Alabama. These major market states are Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Kentucky. The survey of Alabama households was conducted statewide, and assisted in determining the estimated number of in-state residents who will visit the attractions. The survey forms mailed to the niche-study groups were similar to the surveys conducted by telephone, with only minor wording changes.

Results from the telephone surveys of in-state and out-of-state households were used as the basis for economic impact. The mail surveys sent to members of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and to group tour operators were used to determine if members of niche market groups would be more likely than the general population to attend the three attractions, and if so, to determine any difference in the length of stay or in spending patterns.

The total number of visitors was determined using a very conservative estimate of the percentage of households that indicated they definitely intended to visit the sites and those that indicated that they would probably visit the sites. This number was extrapolated back to the US Bureau of Commerce decennial census data for the total number of households above the poverty level. It was assumed that only those households with disposable income would have the means to travel.

The estimated annual number of visitors was calculated at varying levels of market penetration (100 percent, 75 percent, 50 percent, and 25 percent). The market penetration level is defined as the percentage of households that are aware of the attractions after the promotional campaign begins. The level of household response to an event is linked directly to the level of market penetration of the message announcing that the event will occur. In a survey environment, the market penetration level is 100 percent, because each household contacted is provided with information on the event during the course of the survey. In a normal situation, the level of market penetration is linked to the promotional campaign of the entity sponsoring or promoting the event. Since the level of market penetration cannot be determined on projects in the developmental stage, the economic impact was estimated at the four market penetration levels listed above.

The estimated annual number of travelers and their spending patterns captured by the in-state and out-of-state traveler surveys were then used to calculate economic impact. Table 1 illustrates the total traveler estimates, while Table 2 lists the economic impact of the three attractions, all at varying levels of market penetration.

The overall economic impact of the three projects is dependent upon the level of marketing occurring due to advertising campaigns used to promote the attractions. Market penetration levels of 25 percent and 50 percent are considered to be the most probable, when the visitor estimates at these penetration levels are compared with current visitor levels at similar attractions in Alabama and the Southeast.

			100% Market Penetration			75% Market Penetration			50% Market Penetration			25% Market Penetration
	Estimated Travelers
	Alabama			106,369			79,777			53,185			26,592
All States Surveyed		653,289			483,260			322,174			161,086

Total direct impact is defined as the increase in demand within the travel industry sector of the economy of the state of Alabama as a result of the three projects: the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, the Selma to Montgomery Trail, and the Freedom Riders Interpretive Center. Total output is defined as total money that will be introduced into Alabama’s economy as a result of these projects, through both direct impact and indirect impact. Indirect impact includes all businesses and services that support the travel industry. Total earnings are defined as wages and salaries paid to newly hired workers, in addition to the existing workers within the travel industry (direct earnings) and wages and salaries paid to workers in all other sectors that support the travel industry (indirect earnings).

Assuming a 25 percent market penetration, an estimated 161,086 travelers will visit the attractions. Of these, 26,592 or 17 percent will be in-state travelers and 134,494 or 83 percent will be out-of-state travelers. This will result in a total direct impact of $44,493,197, with a total output (direct impact + indirect impact) of $88,033,123. An additional 1,953 jobs will be introduced into Alabama’s economy for an anticipated increase in earnings of $29,547,690.

Assuming a 50 percent market penetration, an estimated 322,174 travelers will visit the attractions. Of these, 53,185 or 17 percent will be in-state travelers and 268,989 or 83 percent will be out-of-state travelers. This will result in a total direct impact of $88,986,000, with a total output (direct impact + indirect impact) of $176,065,468. An additional 3,905 jobs will be introduced into Alabama’s economy for an anticipated increase in earnings of $59,095,117.

Most of the job creation that occurs because of these projects will take place in central and southern Alabama, in the counties encompassing and neighboring the locations of the three projects. The jobs will be concentrated in the service sector of the economy, in businesses such as lodging services, eating and drinking establishments, entertainment services, and other service-related businesses that support the travel industry.

The 400 in-state and 800 out-of-state telephone surveys were conducted to document the level of interest in the proposed Civil Rights and heritage tourism sites. The niche market mail surveys were conducted as case studies to see if the state might benefit from niche marketing once the projects are developed.

Among all travelers surveyed, 48.4 percent showed an interest in historic Civil Rights sites, and 37.2 percent stated that they had previously visited Civil Rights sites. In this group, 26.8 percent had ties to Alabama and 44 percent had previously traveled to Alabama. Also among all travelers, 74.4 percent stated that they had a favorable impression of Alabama as a vacation destination. A majority of these travelers, 81.1 percent, would choose a hotel as their lodging of choice, and 7.9 percent said that they would stay with family or friends. The estimated travel party size among all travelers surveyed is 3.1 persons and the party would use an average of 1.4 hotel rooms per group. The preferred mode of transportation of all travelers surveyed is the personal automobile, as noted by 81.8 percent of respondents, while 6.3 percent would rent a car or van, and 4.5 percent of respondents would travel by air.

Among the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. members responding to the survey, 91.5 percent had an interest in Civil Rights sites and 83.5 percent had previously visited Civil Rights sites. Of this group of respondents, 89 percent had ties to Alabama and 49.4 percent had previously traveled to the state. Among this group, 65.8 percent had a favorable impression of Alabama as a vacation site. The Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. members showed a 73.6 percent preference for staying in a hotel, while 8.6 percent of them would stay with family or friends. The estimated travel party size is 2.6 persons, and they would use an average of 1.4 hotel rooms per party. Respondents indicated that 54.3 percent of them would use a personal automobile as their mode of transportation. This was followed by 18.9 percent intending to use air travel and 12.2 percent stating they would likely rent a car or van.

Of the group tour operators who responded to the survey, 44 percent showed an interest in historic Civil Rights sites, with 32 percent of them indicating that they had previously conducted tours to Civil Rights sites. In this group, 84 percent had ties to Alabama and 64 percent had traveled to Alabama before. Also among this group, 84 percent stated they had a favorable impression of Alabama as a vacation site. The respondents (70.2 percent) chose hotel accommodations as the lodging of choice, and 29.8 percent were not sure of lodging choice. The estimated travel party size among group travel operators is 32.8 persons, and they would use an average of 16.6 hotel rooms per party. A majority of group tour operators would bring their groups to the area by bus, as indicated by 80 percent of respondents. Four percent stated they would likely rent a car or van and an additional 4 percent would organize groups in their personal vehicles.

The Civil Rights and heritage tourism projects that were studied, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, the Selma to Montgomery Trail, and the Freedom Riders Interpretive Center, will have significant impact on the state’s economy in terms of additional revenue generated, number of new jobs added, and increased earnings potential of state residents. Market penetration levels of 25 percent and 50 percent are considered to be the most probable, when the visitor estimates at these penetration levels are compared with current visitor levels of similar attractions in Alabama and the Southeast. As shown above, at the most conservative level of market penetration of 25 percent, an estimated 161,086 travelers will visit the attractions, bringing with them total spending of $44,493,197. On average, this would amount to approximately $276 of spending per person. The economic impact of that spending would total $88,033,123. An additional 1,953 jobs would be introduced into the Alabama economy, causing an anticipated increase in earnings of $29,547,690.

Alabama Black Belt counties can utilize and develop Civil Rights and heritage tourism sites that exist within their boundaries to bring in travelers who have an interest in visiting these sites. With proper development and marketing of the sites, these counties can create many new jobs and bring much needed tourism dollars into their local economies. This, in turn, would result in economic growth and development in these areas.

The author wishes to thank Dr. Keivan Deravi of Auburn University Montgomery and Ms. Frances Smiley of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel for their advice and input.

For further information concerning this article, please contact Pam Smith, email: psmith@cbed.aum.edu, telephone: 334-244-3608.

TTRA South Central Chapter Board Meeting, Little Rock Welcome Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, May 4, 2004

TTRA International 35^th Annual Conference, Hilton Montreal Bonaventure, Montreal, Canada, June 20-23, 2004

TTRA South Central Chapter 17^th Annual Conference, Natchez Convention Center, Natchez, Mississippi, September 30

-October 1, 2004. Note: A Pre-Conference Tour of Port Gibson and Vicksburg, Mississippi may take place on September 29.